NHL Player Safety admits they don't care about players with Brandon Hagel decision
In yesterday's game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panther, a controversial hit by Brandon Hagel has drawn the attention of NHL Department of Player Safety. The hit occurred during the 1st period when Brandon Hagel was called for cross checking against Eetu Luostarinen.
The hit occured at a very dangerous distance from the boards and sent an unbalanced Luostarinen hard into the boards.
Luostarinen was shaken up on the play, but only missed one shift. Hagel was originally called for a major penalty on the play, but it was reduced by the officials to a minor penalty.
Upon review George Parros and the NHL Department of Player Safety felt the hit deserved supplemental discipline.
Earlier this playoffs Kyle Clifford was given a 5-minute major and a 1-game suspension for a far less dangerous hit.
This hit by Hagel is the very play coaches and parents have been preaching to avoid in the game. Hagel shoves a defenseless player from a dangerous distance into the boards. The NHL's failure to punish this hit is another example of a missed opportunity to protect players.
| POLL | ||
Should this hit have resulted in a suspension? | ||
| Yes | 13 | 54.2 % |
| No | 11 | 45.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
